Leaky gut- steps to support natural healing
Do you suffer from bloating constantly?
Or often feeling as though you have no energy?
Or maybe a wide variety of different foods set you off, but you can’t quite put your finger on why?
If so, you may have gut inflammation or problems with your intestinal barrier. Many people have some degree of leaky gut, as your stomach and intestines have a barrier which has many unique functions, including the ability to allow some molecules to pass through (vitamins, minerals, and fluids), whilst denying others access (toxins and harmful microorganisms). However, the extent of leaky gut varies, and some people are more susceptible due to genetics or modern lifestyle and dietary factors. Many people suspect they may have leaky gut, however, are not entirely sure what this means or how to treat it..
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What is leaky gut?
When we discuss leaky gut what we are really talking about is intestinal hyperpermeability (IHP), gut inflammation and dysbiosis (an imbalance of bacteria in the gut). At a cellular level, the stomach leads into the small intestine, which is covered by the intestinal barrier, an extremely large surface where everything from our food and environment is absorbed into the bloodstream through microscopic “gates”. The intestinal barrier also plays host to microorganisms and is an entry way for toxins, and substances which can cause an immune response such as bacteria, viruses, chemicals etc. When IHP occurs, this means that something has caused the barrier to become enflamed and the small gates that allow the molecules to pass through become bigger and begin to separate. Larger molecules that previously were not able to come through, begin to pass into the intestines and into the bloodstream, leading to the potential for a variety of symptoms and problems to occur throughout the body.
What may contribute or cause leaky gut (IHP)?
Unfortunately, there are many factors which could influence the development of IHP, however some of the more known causes include:
- Regular alcohol intake and exceeding recommended limits e.g., binge drinking
- Consuming an inflammatory diet including refined sugars, saturated fats, dairy and gluten to excess
- Pharmaceutical medications such as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and antibiotics
- Illicit drug use and smoking
- Chronic diseases causing inflammation such as Coeliac disease or Crohn’s disease
- High stress - physical, such as excessive endurance exercise or emotional, such as anxiety, depression, or the chronic feeling of having “too many tabs open” in your brain!
What are some of the signs and symptoms that you may have leaky gut?
- A chronic lack of energy which can feel like whole body fatigue
- Bloating after eating
- Reacting to a wide variety of different foods
- Gassy
- Stomach cramping and pain
- Problems with bowel motions- either diarrhoea or constipation or both
- Poor concentration
- Recurrent infections- colds and “bugs” often
So how do you heal this?
Some basic things you can implement to kick-start your gut healing journey may include:
Removing or reducing inflammatory foods that irritate the gastrointestinal lining such as gluten, dairy, saturated fats (processed meats, fried foods), refined sugar and processed “white” foods (lollies, cakes, biscuits, white bread, white wraps etc).
Rest your gut - start including some easily digestible foods in your diet including bone broths and cooked vegetables such as in stews and soups –raw vegetables are slightly more challenging for the gut to break down when it is in an inflammatory state.
Introduce some therapeutic foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, good quality collagen powder, ginger and turmeric.
Implement some stress management techniques – Utilise free meditation apps such as ‘Insight Timer’ or ‘Smiling Mind’ and practice regularly to deactivate that “fight or flight” reaction that may be chronically occurring and disrupting the good bacteria in your gut.
Book a consultation with me to find the root cause. The best way is to be guided by a health professional such as a Nutritionist to find the root cause of the gastrointestinal inflammation. We can delve into some functional testing such as Complete Microbiome Mapping stool testing or look at practitioner-only natural supplementation to heal the gut.